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UPDATE: President Obama coming to Savannah on March 2

ATLANTA - President Obama will be in Savannah to stump for his economic program March 2, the next stop on his White House to Main Street Tour, according to a White House press release.

The day-long visit represents the president’s third stop on the tour that began in Allentown, Penn., on Dec. 4, and stopped last in Cleveland late last month. Both trips wound between small businesses and a town hall meeting.

The goal of the tour is to give ordinary people a chance to describe their economic challenges, according to the White House official, speaking on background. It also provides him an opportunity to deliver his message directly about the efforts he’s made to shore up the economy. No specific policy announcements are expected in Savannah, the official said.

Although Obama narrowly lost Georgia in the 2008election, he’ll be on friendly turf on March 2. He carried Chatham County with 57 percent of the vote even though he didn’t campaign here.

Obama spokesman Adam Abrahms said the president will meet with workers, small business owners, families and local leaders. Obama “will share ideas for continuing to grow the economy and to put Americans back to work,” a newsrelease said.

Although it is lower in the Savannah area, the national unemployment rate has hovered around 10 percent.

The release also said Obama will speak to local people “about the challenges they face”and listen “to their ideas for working together to turn the economy around.”

A White House spokesman, who declined to be named, said the event may include some sort of town hall meeting, as did the two other ones.

The spokesman didn’t say why Savannah was picked for the stop.

Read more in Tuesday's Savannah Morning News, including reaction from local politicians.